punishing

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Emerging-markets stocks are still beating their U.S. rivals this year, even after a recent bout of volatility triggered a punishing but mercifully short-lived selloff.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 22, 2026

For nearly two years, Al-Shubbak watched through ancient grey eyes as Tuti, the crescent-shaped island in the heart of the Sudanese capital she calls home, emptied of its inhabitants under a punishing paramilitary siege.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

Former US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick hit a superb, bogey-free 63 to claim a one-shot lead over Viktor Hovland after a punishing second round at the RBC Heritage in South Carolina.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

On another level, though, Pitchford is about what happens when that principle collides with the punishing procedural architecture of modern postconviction review.

From Slate • Apr. 10, 2026

Olmsted’s teeth hurt, his ears roared, and he could not sleep, yet throughout the first months of 1892 he kept up a pace that would have been punishing for a man one-third his age.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson